Source: morgan.edu
On this Flag Day 2015, I think the time is long past overdue for our nation to honor those who have stood strong for the cause of peace through volunteering with the Peace Corps and other similar organizations. Their minimum two-year commitment is just an honorable those who have fought and defended our country. Often, being a peacemaker or peacekeeper is the much more difficult option to achieve (or maintain) and it takes great effort, spirit, time, fortitude, courage, patience, and will to successfully achieve.
Currently there are 147 national cemeteries across the nation, plus a number of state cemeteries. These are largely dedicated to those who have served in war-time or in other military capacities. To my knowledge, there are exactly zero (0) cemeteries dedicated to veterans of the Peace Corps or other peace-seeking organizations.
It has been nearly 55 years since then Senator John F. Kennedy first proposed the idea of the Peace Corps during a speech on the steps of the University of Michigan Union. Since then, more than 220,000 volunteers have heeded the call to serve for peace instead of war in 140 nations. To this American, the Peace Corps does far more to foster friendship, harmony, and goodwill among nations than any other aspect of American foreign policy.
Orange – where Peace Corps volunteers currently serve. Purple – where Peace Corps volunteers have served in the past. Source: howstuffworks.com
Let’s salute those who have given their time, their effort, and in some cases their very lives (nearly 300 from the Peace Corps alone) to further the cause of peace around the world by honoring them with a national cemetery of their own. It is an honor so richly deserved and which is long overdue.
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Panethos 